Player Updates

Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko is working on his swing in the early stages of camp, and one area of focus is keeping his hips aligned to not be vulnerable to pitches away, MLB.com reports.

"We're making sure the hips stay in so they don't come out like they did at the beginning of last year to make sure everything is working in the right direction," Gyorko said of his work with hitting coach Mark Kotsay. "It allows me to see the ball a little longer and a little better. It will allow me to hit the ball the other way with power or just shoot it the other way, and gets me on time to pull the ball so I don't get jammed."

Gyorko played just 111 games last season due to plantar fasciitis, hitting .210/.280/.333 with 10 home runs and 51 RBI in 400 at-bats.

Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko definitely went through a sophomore slump in 2014 after belting 23 home runs as a rookie in 2013. Although, dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot certainly didn't help his cause.

Still, Gyorko seems to indicate the injury wasn't the main reason he struggled offensively last season. He hit .210 with 10 home runs in 111 games.

"I think I maybe put a little too much pressure on myself," Gyorko said, per MLB.com. "We were struggling as a team. And I think all of us, not just myself, felt like we needed to come up with that big hit to get us going. It's hard to hit when you put that kind of pressure on yourself."

Gyorko missed nearly two months of games last season due to the foot injury, but once he returned, his numbers began to improve. He hit .260 with a .347 on-base percentage over his final 55 games.

"He was better. I think he started making some adjustments, some mechanical, some at-bat to at-bat in terms of pitch selection," manager Bud Black said. "Before, you saw him chasing pitches up in the strike zone and also sliders away. I think that a lot of that was him wanting to be aggressive and wanting to help the team."

"We saw in 2013 what Jedd can be, and I think there's more to Jedd based on 2013," Black said. "I think last year there were a lot of factors that went into his season that he expected or adjusted to, but that is something he's hopefully learned from. It's a tough game. You've got to work and stay on top of it. In that regard, I think he learned a lot."

Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko went 1 for 4 and scored two runs in Friday's 5-0 win over the Giants.

Gyorko has recorded at least one hit in 10 straight games, extending what's been a very good second half after struggling early in the season and missing an extended period of time on the disabled list. He has hit .272/.346/.426 with five home runs and 27 RBI in 169 at-bats since the All-Star break after hitting .162/.213/.270 in the first half.